Fireflies
by LyssaGranger
Summary: [RHr] Always a reminder of better times.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I've been trying for years to trade JKR my most worldly possessions (26 cents, a rubber band, and a broken candlestick) but she still wont give me the rights to Harry Potter!

A/N: I wrote this for a friends for her birthday, along with five other fics which I'll post later on. Hope you enjoy.

**Fireflies  
Chapter One**

It was something so unexpected from him that, even today as she remembers back to that hot and sticky June day, she can't help but wonder if she had imagined it all. The only evidence of that day was the small but still beautiful white gold band which had its permanent residence around her frail ring finger.

It had been unbearably hot that afternoon; Harry, Ginny, and her had been sprawled out in front of the dead fireplace, which had long since been used, doing their best to keep cool. Ginny had been lying on her back across the warring rug and around her Harry had draped himself over the lumpy sofa, his arm falling lazily over the edge. She had been curled up at the end of it, book in hand, doing her best to focus on the words written on the pages, rather than the blistering heat that surrounded all of them.

The three had been in these exact positions for more than a few hours by the time anything of actual interested had begun to take place. For the most part they'd been silent, breaking it only momentarily when Harry would mumbled something sweet to Ginny and she was brush his hand away from her cheek, which he'd been stroking quietly the entire time, laughing softly.

She recalls, now, that it had been their seventh year – Ginny's sixth – and they had all rejoined again at Hogwarts, under Professor McGonagall's rule, this time, for their final year. Of course, it hadn't gone smoothly, it never had. The year, their studying, their N.E.W.T's all interrupted when they'd come across new information on a Horcrux.

But now, as the sun shone brighter than ever, hanging alone in the cloudless sky, they were just like every other student at Hogwarts. Bored, hot, and sticky. But, as always, that would never last long.

A small first year boy with matted golden hair came shyly up to the couch she had been seated at. He gave a small, nervous smile and looked down at the floor beneath him.

'Are you,' he took a deep breath, as if this were one of the hardest things he'd had to do, 'Hermione Granger?'

She looked up quickly, unsure as to what this could have been about. She hadn't been made Head Girl, so it couldn't have been about a problem. She never would have admitted it, but when she didn't get a letter congratulating her on becoming the new Head Girl of Hogwarts she'd been only mildly disappointed. She never truly expected that letter to come, not after their sixth year, not after they'd discovered that it was The Dark Lord or Harry Potter in the end.

'Yes,' she replied, unsure. She glanced down quickly at the small number scrawled at the top of the page, 267, and shut it gently.

'I'm supposed to give this to you,' the boy held out his hand, revealing a small, crumpled note of parchment in his palm.

She took it hesitantly from him. 'Who's it from?'

'I'm not supposed to say anything else. Just give you the note. That's what he said,' the boy nodded.

She was curious but uncertain and only mildly aware that Ginny had come up beside her, crouching down to her level beside the sofa. 'Open it,' Ginny smiled, throwing a quick glance in Harry's direction.

The boy rushed off quickly, though she hadn't been paying him any attention anyway. She shrugged and tugged on the sides of the parchment, smoothing it out on her lap before reading. Barely audible, in a scrawl she'd come so used to seeing, as she'd corrected it many times in the past years for various homework checks, was written:

_Hermione,_

_Meet me behind Hagrid's hut. Midnight._

And that was all.

She looked up at Ginny and Harry, as if they could fill in the blanks. And now, looking back, they probably could have, though at the time they'd acted completely nonchalant to the entire ploy.

'What does he want?' she asked, questioning filling her brown eyes. She hadn't seen him all day; he'd somehow disappeared before any of them had gotten down to breakfast. Of course, when she'd asked Harry about it he'd only shrugged and greeted Ginny with a sweet kiss.

'I guess you'll have to go and find out,' Ginny smiled, pleased.

The rest of the day had passed in somewhat of an off way. Whenever one of the four were missing it seemed to through off the whole balance of their perfect little world. She hated it when he wasn't there. She'd always felt like a third wheel with Harry and Ginny, almost as though she were intruding in a private moment. Of course, that was never the case. They loved having her around, but she felt a bit awkward without him there with her to even out the coupling. Neither she nor he had anyone to share their lives with at the time, unlike their two friends, and somehow, when they were together it didn't seem so awkward to be around the couple.

As the day passed slowly, in the exact same way it had begun, she couldn't help but let her mind wander to whatever he had planned at Hagrid's. She couldn't possibly have imagined what was soon to come, though she'd spent most of the afternoon in quiet contemplation.

It was so unlike him to plan anything in secret; he had always been terrible at keeping anything from his friends. And at this thought she couldn't help but smile softly to herself at the thought of him trying to keep Quidditch tryouts from them. She'd known what he was doing late at night when he was practicing for them.

The night especially seemed to drag on just as slowly as a turtle in peanut butter. It was almost agonizing. Ginny had done her best to bring it up whenever possible, and, during some occasions, even when it wasn't at all a subtle change in topic. Since the moment the small boy had arrived with the note the couple couldn't wipe the secretive smile from their lips.

Finally, by the time the common room had cleared of nearly every other Gryffindor, she escaped to her room, sentencing herself to quiet solitude as she awaited midnight. Whether it might kill her or not. And, in all honesty, she had sat completely still on her four poster, watching the door, her stomach in a twist of knots as her mind ran her through all of the heart wrenching possibilities of tonight.

Of course, there were the terrible ones, the ones which involved him telling her he had found the girl of his dreams, the love of his life, the one he'd been waiting for. Or the ones where he would tell her he was sick or hurt, which, in all honesty, she was even more terrified of.

But she wasn't foolish and she wasn't blind. She was a clever witch and she could tell that something had stirred inside of him. Finally, after so many years of waiting, something had gone off in his head. He was finally seeing her in a whole new light, a light she'd longed for him to see her in.

Deep down, though, she couldn't help but look darkly at it. Whether or not he was finally falling for her just as hard as she'd fallen for him all those years ago, there was no way he would have been so bold about it. And so she continued her wait for midnight in a cloud of mingled bliss and edge. Waiting. Always waiting for a moment she knew might never come.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I've been trying for years to trade JKR my most worldly possessions (26 cents, a rubber band, and a broken candlestick) but she still wont give me the rights to Harry Potter!

A/N: And here's the second bit of it. This is such a sappy fic ... I enjoyed writing it so much! Evil laugh Hope you do to!

**FireFlies**

**Chapter Two**

As midnight dawned she hurried down the seven flights of stairs and out into the darkened grounds around the castle. On her way out the portrait hole she had been, of course, stopped by Harry and Ginny, hands intertwined between the two, each with their own wicked smile.

Ginny had instantly begun to smooth down her hair as Harry spoke. 'We're going to take you down to the forest edge; just to be sure you get there fine. We can't be too careful anymore.'

She had sighed heavily, exasperated, nearly annoyed that their lives had been so dramatically changed. The other students were carefree and wild, while they were forced to think ahead, think of the danger behind something as simple as walking through the grounds.

But tonight she was sure she would not let anything spoil it. While she had been in her dorm she'd managed to allow herself the small, fleeting thought that perhaps tonight everything would come together and they would finally be allowed a chance at happiness after everything they'd gone through in the name of friendship together.

She had flat out refused to be accompanied through the grounds. Of course both Harry and Ginny had protested wildly but in the end she had won the battle, promising to keep her wand alight and allowing them to watch her from the common room window.

And so, there she was, the luminous green light glowing around her, the moon hanging huge in the dark night sky. She hurried, as quickly as she could, to the small hut at the rim of the Forbidden Forest where she caught her first glimpse of him all day.

He was standing, his hands stuck deep in the pockets of his faded robes, red hair blazing, even in the darkness around them. When he saw her, his nervousness seemed to ebb away, leaving, in its wake, a calming.

They met half way, just beside Hagrid's and he smiled a small smile, still crooked after so many years and she couldn't help but smile back.

He spoke first, quietly, 'this way,' he nodded, taking her hand boyishly and tugging her into the thicket of trees behind the hut.

She was completely unaware of her surroundings, focusing solely on the warmth of her hand in his. She didn't see where he was leading her, but she didn't care, she trusted him completely, and for once, she wasn't worrying about a surprise attack or wondering what terrible things might happen as they walked alone through a forest of darkness, because she knew, without seeing, that he was clutching his wand in his pocket with the hand that wasn't holding hers, ready for anything, ready to protect her. And she wasn't worried.

Finally, after a maze of tangled trees and roots he stopped and turned to face her again. 'Erm,' he suddenly turned nervous again, all of the confidence he'd felt when he'd seen her melting away as he stumbled for words, 'well, Hermione, I, er …'

He sighed and pulled his hand away from hers, letting it drop to his side. She was slightly put off, missing his touch, but she smiled encouragingly at him, coaxing him with her eyes, to go on.

'I er,' he sighed again, angrily this time, 'sorry. I wasn't expecting you to come.'

She laughed lightly, 'well, you know me, Ron. When a first year hands me a note, so nervous he might wet himself, I can't help but oblige.' She had been hoping that her joke would make him ease up a bit, feel more comfortable.

He laughed quietly, doing his best to stay calm, he tried again. 'I …' and again, he sighed, frustrated with himself. 'Here, just- I'll just show you.' He grabbed her hand again, his palm, this time, was sweaty from nerves, which she couldn't help but think was adorable.

Again, he led her off, further into the thick trees, not at far this time. After a few cautious steps forward the trees seemed to become less dense until suddenly they were standing at the edge of a small circular clearing.

They were standing side by side then and when she turned to look at him, questioning written on her face, he smiled simply and nodded into the mass of clear grass in front of them. And again, she looked at him, searching his eyes for an answer, but moving ahead into the center.

And all at once, taking her breath away was a thousand small fireflies, glowing beautifully in the darkness flew up around her, filling the clearing with their dim lights. She looked around her in amazement, in pure astonishment and glee. She'd always loved how wonderful a single firefly could seem and there, standing with a million tiny, flittering specks of light around her, she felt him behind her, resting his chin on her shoulder softly.

'I love you,' he whispered in her ear, so quietly that, if she hadn't been waiting to hear him say it for years, she would have undoubtedly missed it altogether.

She turned to face him and before she could have possibly reacted he brushed his lips gently across hers, taking her breath away for a second time that night.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I've been trying for years to trade JKR my most worldly possessions (26 cents, a rubber band, and a broken candlestick) but she still wont give me the rights to Harry Potter!

A/N: And this is the last bit! The fluff continues, beware and enjoy!

**FireFlies**

**Chapter Three**

That day had been the start of the most magical journey of her life. The rest of the year had flown past in a whirlwind of sweet nothings and soft kisses. She hadn't thought he was much for romantics but he'd proven her wrong, as he had done so often before. On graduation day he and Harry had planned a surprise proposal for her and Ginny.

She smiles at the memory. When Harry had taken Ginny by the hand and led her into the gardens which had been magically grown for the celebration of the seventh year graduation, and he had brought her to the edge of the Forbidden forest, leading her past Hagrid's hut and into the clearing of thick trees, just as he'd done that first night with the fireflies.

She remembers how her stomach leapt into her throat; he'd only ever taken her there when he had something special planned, and this time was no exception. Once they were surrounded by the dark blackness of the tree trunks he stood in front of her, hands in his, and whispered sweetly in her ear.

He took her breath away, though, when he bent down on one knee and reached into his graduation cloak, pulling out a small velvet box. She had started to shake, completely taken aback.

He had asked her in a gentle voice, to make him the happiest wizard at Hogwarts, to marry him. And of course, without hesitation she'd answered yes, pulling him up to tower above her small frame. He'd slipped the beautiful white gold band with the single diamond, which, even she had to admit, was rather large for the Weasley finances, but he didn't seem to mind as he leaned in gently to kiss her softly.

Now, though, she plays with the band around her finger as she remembers Ginny's face as the four of them meet up in the garden again. She's wearing an equally gorgeous ring, too, and the four of them are surrounded in pure bliss.

Harry and Ginny will get married at the beginning of the summer, as long as her parents will allow it, since she won't have even graduated by then. And they will tie the knot just before they leave for battle.

She smiles to herself, remembering how happy that summer had been. Full of love and laughter, two marriages. Mrs. Weasley had never been so happy.

But by the end of the summer the four of them were forced to leave their newly married blissfulness behind as they ventured into the battle that would break them all.

She continues to twirl the band around her finger, reminiscing on their final hours together. They had finally distorted every Horcrux, making the Dark Lord mortal once more. Harry had led them into battle, confident but cautious, instructing them to leave if things got out of hand. He knew that was pointless instruction, none of them would flee, leaving him behind. Never.

He had died in battle, the way she'd known he'd have liked best; fighting to protect their love, their friendship, their lives. He had protected Harry, his best friend, from a nasty spell cast by Lord Voldemort, allowing Harry to carry on battling to the end. Which is exactly what he had done.

She had sobbed uncontrollably after, sitting with Harry and Ginny, both as beaten and bruised as she was, in St. Mungo's nights after.

It had taken her so long to finally live again, punishing herself for living and him dieing. It had been hard on all of them, but they managed to get through it together. Harry and Ginny had moved her into the flat they'd bought before they left for battle, not wanting her to be alone, and for that she was more than thankful, because only the truest of friends would do something so kind, even though it was the beginning of their marriage.

Now, though, she smiled at his memory, twisting her wedding band around her finger, remembering the day they'd first met, the day they'd first fought and all of the other times they'd filled the common room with their angry screams. She remember his smile and his friendship. She remember the fireflies, always the fireflies, because whenever she saw one as she walked through the park by the Potter's flat, and saw a stray one fluttering past, she would smile and remember the only one she'd ever loved.

Because, to her, he lived on through her fireflies.


End file.
